


Warm as the Ruby/ Pure as the Pearl

by Ravensmores



Series: Tumblr Prompts [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Almost smut, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Regency, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Arranged Marriage, I’m such a tease, Long-Haired Victor Nikiforov, M/M, Regency Romance, this fandom needs more regency fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-26 12:21:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravensmores/pseuds/Ravensmores
Summary: He’d told himself it was ridiculous to feel self-conscious at his own engagement party, that greeting guests on Victor’s arm was going to be the greatest pleasure, yet no sooner had they entered the ballroom than the pointed stares of his friends and colleagues were already proving too much. He could feel the words like stones being hurled at the back of his head as they toured the room, crudely hidden behind gloves and fans.CommonCheapMistakeBarely half an hour in he was excusing himself, fleeing into the most secluded bedroom he could find to try and settle his nerves.He takes another breath to try and steady himself, the foolishness of his actions sitting heavy and cold in his mind. Is this what their marriage was to to be like? Victor constantly laughed at by his friends and equals alike for agreeing to a match such as him?





	Warm as the Ruby/ Pure as the Pearl

The sheets shift like silk beneath Yuuri’s fingers as he sits on the edge of the bed, desperately trying to calm his breathing. He tries to focus on the steady _tick tick tick_ of the pocketwatch grasped in his other hand, yet all he can hear is the mocking whispers of his party guests whistling louder than the wind past his ears.

He puts the watch back in his pocket and drops his face in his hands, desperately trying to fight the shame burning at the back of his throat.

He just hopes Victor isn’t too embarrassed.

He’d told himself it was ridiculous to feel self-conscious at his own engagement party, that greeting guests on Victor’s arm was going to be the greatest pleasure. Yet the minute they’d entered the room, the pointed stares of his friends and colleagues were already proving too much. He could feel the words like stones being hurled at the back of his head as they toured the space, crudely hidden behind gloves and fans.

_Common_

_Cheap_

_Mistake_

Barely half an hour in he was excusing himself, fleeing into the most secluded bedroom he could find to try and settle his nerves.

He takes another breath to try and steady himself, the foolishness of his actions sitting heavy and cold in his mind.

Is this what their marriage was to to be like? Victor constantly laughed at by his friends and equals alike for agreeing to a match such as him?

His own mind had told him enough times that he isn’t what anyone would consider a suitable husband for someone of Victor’s standing, but he still wishes the crowds didn’t make it so plainly known whenever they were in the same room together.

“Yuuri?”

The soft utterance of his name through the door snaps him away from his unpleasant train of thought, the voice familiar.

“Victor?”

The door opens fully and Victor casually leans in the entryway, lightly twisting the ends of his hair between his fingers. “Ah, there you are.” As he approaches the bed, Yuuri notices the tiniest crinkle knit between his brows, the rest of his expression soft.

Yuuri feels a small rush of relief that he does not appear angry, the smile on his face matching the one he gave just as the party started in an attempt to calm Yuuri’s nerves.

“Forgive me. I did not mean to leave so suddenly.”

“It’s quite alright.” His soft grin doesn’t falter as he perches next to Yuuri. “Frankly engagements like that are not my favourite place to be either.”

Yuuri feels himself relax a little more at his words. He always seemed to know what to say. Then again, Victor had always been kind. Not once had he aired any grievance about their match in his presence: offering him every courtesy when they were formally introduced during their families’ negotiations, accompanying him to several events, and _never_ showing the slightest hint that he was ashamed to sport him on his arm.

It was a comfort, but deep down Yuuri knows he’s just doing it to uphold his reputation as a gentleman. The fear of what will happen once they were actually married is what keeps Yuuri pacing the long hallways once the sun has set.

_Victor isn’t someone who deserves the mockery that is going to follow him the instant that he says ‘I do.’_

It wasn’t just that he has a fortune that makes Yuuri feel faint when he considers its size or the fact that he’s closer to royalty than he likes to admit, it’s that even physically their match made little sense.

He flicks his eyes back up to the man sitting next to him. The soft shine of his long silver braid is just as perfect as when it was carefully styled earlier, the sweet pink of his smile more prominent in the flickering firelight. He bites his lip as the urge to see if his hair feels just as soft it looks flares hotly in his mind for probably the tenth time that evening.

It would be an understatement to call him beautiful. Ever since he’d first arrived into town those years ago, he’s been able to command the awe of any sized crowd, men and women of every station desperate to dance with him at each engagement he went to. And Yuuri was just… well, Yuuri. Someone who could do everything in his power to be a good partner but realistically could never be even a tenth of the man soon to be his husband.

“I just needed a walk,” Yuuri mumbles lamely, picking at an invisible thread on the sheets and hoping the other man doesn’t press the matter any further.

Victor sighs and reclines a little against the mattress, his words as warm as the lamps softly illuminating the corners of the room. “Walk all you like. After all…” he turns towards him, his smile wider, “in a fortnight this is to be your home too.”

That thought had been rolling around his mind ever since he’d first stepped into the manor a month ago. While his family in no way lived in squalor, it was nothing compared to the sheer vastness of the Nikiforov estate. The acreage of the garden alone was enough to swallow his own property fifty times over.

“I fear I will never stop getting lost,” he murmurs, remembering how long he spent stumbling through the dark corridors yesterday evening trying to remember where his bedroom was.

Victor laughs softly. It’s a beautiful sound. “Well then I’ll just have to send Makkachin out to find you.”

He can’t help but smile at that. If there was one relaxing thing about this whole situation it was that at least Victor’s dog took a shine to him immediately, and that his own poodle wouldn’t be lonely once he moved in too.

As he chuckles, Victor suddenly straightens himself a little, dropping his gaze to watch the soft glow of the fireplace in front of them. “Actually, I was hoping to catch you alone this evening,” he slips his hand inside his jacket as he speaks, his voice low, “there’s something I wish to give you.”

The sudden quietness of his tone catches Yuuri off guard, the slight nervousness to his words something he’s never heard before. “There is?”

The other man exhales slowly as he pulls out an ornate box and carefully places it in Yuuri’s hands. “I should really be the one apologising,” he murmurs, lifting his eyes to meet Yuuri’s, “a few days ago I realised I’ve yet to get you a proper engagement present.”

“You really did not need to-”

“Please.” He’s cut off by a soft whisper, the gentle press of Victor’s fingers warm against his own. “I want you to have this.”

Swallowing, Yuuri slowly opens the box, holding the intensity of Victor’s gaze for as long as he can before casting his eyes downwards.

He’s struck dumb by its contents.

Nestled in the dark velvet lining is the most exquisite set of pearls he’s ever laid his eyes upon. Lifting the box a little closer, he catches the perfect craftsmanship of the thin silver chain holding them together, each individual piece softly glowing like the moon in the flickering firelight.

For a minute, he feels his words stick in his throat like thick honey, the fact that the expense of this gift was probably enough to eclipse his own collected wealth several times over causing his head to spin.

“Oh wow. Victor- I- these are-” He takes a second to catch his rapidly dissipating train of thought, his mouth dry. “They’re beautiful,” he eventually whispers, cursing himself for not having the proper vocabulary to show his true gratitude.

Looking up he’s struck again by how open the other man’s expression is, something deeper dancing behind the soft blue of his eyes.

“Fitting then,” Victor murmurs, the space between them suddenly significantly lessened, the warmth of his words washing gentle and sweet against his face. “I understand they are somewhat of a strange gift for a gentleman such as yourself but I just couldn’t stop imagining how lovely they’d look against your skin.”

Yuuri feels his world go slightly pink at his words.

Victor had already done him every courtesy, everything society expected of him in their situation, but this- such a gift just for the sake of it- it somehow felt more… genuine.

Intimate.

Yuuri can’t stop his mind racing as he cradles the box in his hands, a small hope starting to bloom warmly in his chest.

_Perhaps this whole situation isn’t such a burden on him. Perhaps he really could want-_

“Thank you,” Yuuri whispers, lightly running his finger across the soft sheen of the pearls.

Victor smiles at his words and reaches over to pick up the necklace from the box, his intention clear.

“May I?”

Yuuri nods dumbly at his words and turns away from him, unhooking the collar of his shirt so he might have better access. He tries not to flinch as the cool of the pearls press against his throat, Victor’s expert fingers carefully adjusting them before delicately fastening the clasp.

He tries not to shiver as Victor’s fingers linger a little against the back of his neck, softly brushing through the shorter hairs before they slowly stroke down to the top of his collar.

 _“I was right.”_ The puff of Victor’s soft words dances against the shell of his ear as he speaks, a warmth suddenly pulsing like an open flame through Yuuri’s body at the proximity. He feels Victor’s hands slip forward, lightly toying with the opened fastenings of his collar as he speaks. “ _Beautiful_.”

Neither of them move.

Yuuri feels his breathing flutter. Each inhale is hot and shallow as he rigidly sits, Victor’s hands gently resting against his collarbone, his lips just close enough to his ear that he can feel each individual breath softly caressing the lobe.

He knows the sudden heat around them has nothing to do with the fireplace.

It would be so _easy_. For him to lean back, to guide Victor’s hand beneath the fabric and feel his touch properly for the first time. To turn around and indulge with his own touches, truly make him _his_ while their party guests obliviously continue their evening below. As he takes another breath he feels Victor’s hand move ever so slightly, his index finger tracing the tiniest circle just underneath the base of his throat.

_One small move. It’s all it would take._

As he basks in the closeness, he can’t stop his mind screaming at him, a thousand contradictory statements washing over the heat he can feel settling in almost every part of his body.

_Was this what he wanted? Why he followed him here? Or was he misreading the situation? Could someone like Victor every truly want him like this?_

With how loud his pulse is thrumming in his ears he briefly wonders if Victor can hear it too, if he knew just how much Yuuri burned under the soft press of each individual finger.

After what could have been a minute or an hour of internal screaming, he eventually feels Victor exhale and slowly start to fix his collar, the wet heat from his breath suddently gone.

He abruptly turns back, his cheeks probably red enough to match the wine he’d declined earlier this evening. “I- I feel like I should have gotten you something in return.”

Victor chuckles and shakes his head. “Please. You’ve already given me more than enough.”

Yuuri furrows his own brow at that. If anything, all he’s done is take and take from Victor’s more than generous hospitality, the only thing he’d been able to offer in return the simplest golden bands as a sign of their commitment.

“You know,” Victor murmurs, slowly flicking his eyes around the room, “this is where we’ll be spending our wedding night.”

Yuuri feels another smack of crimson colour his cheeks at the words. “Oh.”

“If there’s anything you’d like, anything that would make you feel more comfortable-” he slowly slides his hands across the sheets, his words but a whisper- “Please do tell me.”

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it, about what that night would be like. How once those doors were closed, once they were away from the stares and judgement of the public, he’d really have Victor completely to himself. On more than one night after their engagement was confirmed, he’d laid awake under his sheets, letting himself fanatasize about truly being Victor’s lover. Holding him, kissing him, peeling away, layer by layer until there’s not even air between them, nothing there to stop him tasting the pleasure that was just for him.

For both of them.

He’d known it since Victor had first taken his hand those months ago, but right here, right now he can feel it even more clearly with every breath he takes.

_He wants this man._

“I think this will do perfectly,” he eventually whispers, holding the playful spark in Victor’s eyes, acutely aware that some force between them had shifted tonight, the tension in the room still hot and thick.

“Perhaps that night, you’d wear these again for me,” Victor quietly muses as he traces his index finger just under the line of pearls against his neck, the soft caress leaving a fresh trail of heat blooming under Yuuri’s skin.

“Or perhaps I should only wear these?”

It’s out of his mouth before he can stop himself. Normally such a comment would be something reserved for dreams or his most shameless fantasies, but something about their quiet interaction amongst the dimmed glow of these four walls has a sudden fire rushing his confidence. A new type of satisfaction twists in his gut as Victor’s mouth drops open a little, his own blush blooming ever so faintly across the bridge of his nose.

Yuuri slowly stands up, clinging to his bolstered confidence as he smiles and gestures towards the door. “I expect our guests are wondering where we’ve gotten to.” He holds out his hand for the other man. “Shall we?”

He watches Victor blink a few times to remember himself before he takes his hand, his touch a little hotter than before.

“Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just another prompt from tumblr. Will I end up making this porn down the road? Who knows ;)


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